Residents and workers in Midtown and Edgewater have a new avocado on the block. As of June 26th, right on schedule, the Whole Foods at 2910 Biscayne Blvd is now open. We stopped by on Day 1 to see and write an unbiased review. First off, the parking lot is narrow and hard to navigate. There aren’t a lot of spots. There is ticket-less free two-hour parking, so that makes it efficient for entering and exiting but the lot is narrow. The entrance in on the ever-crowded 29th street. We predict fender benders and scratches.
The escalator down from the parking lot is strange. You descend one floor, then the next escalator down you have to walk around. It’s strange, you have to see it to understand.
We recommend walking, if you can.
The store itself is not really big. It’s about the size of the Publix on 20th Street.
When you walk in there are fresh flowers to the right. The produce section is nice and stocked, and it just feels like a Whole Foods, which is encouraging. There is a big neon sign saying Midtown.
Um, fail –this Whole Foods is in Edgewater, not Midtown.
Directly past the produce section, meat, poultry and fish. There’s a sign “Land and Sea” which in new age terms means “Vegan’s Nightmare.”
Heading south along the back, twelve rows in the whole store. The rows are not wide. In the back middle, the alcohol section with beer and wine. The beer selection is not as stocked with local craft beer as you’d think. The wine selection bigger and varied.
Behind the booze is dairy, all typical Whole Foods stuff.
The deli. There’s a small cheese section, a little sushi stand, and pizza maker. The bake shop, salad bar, hot bar, all that you would expect. There is a coffee shop inside the store.
The checkout section is not that big. There are five lines with human beings, and a self-checkout stand with six stations. On opening day, it didn’t seem too difficult to checkout.
Whole Foods Edgewater / Midtown Review
The Whole Foods is not groundbreaking, design-wise. On the second floor, there is ample seating, which makes the place attractive as a lunch destination. The style is loft-ish, with open air ceilings and AC vents. There is no art and the décor is rather basic and dull.
The location is convenient. The seating ample. But we would choose the Trader Joe’s only two blocks away, where you have murals of Miami legendary artist Lebo, rest-in-peace.
There is potential for this Whole Foods. It doesn’t take advantage of Miami’s uniqueness. Blocks from Wynwood, there could be murals and installations from locals. The Herald reported this Whole Foods would have a local feel. We did not feel that. This place could learn from Trader Joe’s because so far, this WF is just basic being basic.
The Edgewater / Midtown Whole Foods is a 7 out of 10 or a B-minus.
